bartine Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hi to the board. Our son turned 16, and he really wanted a 4x4 to drive back and forth to school. I live up in the Maryland / DC area, and and most of the older SUV's we found were rusted out hulks. So - after much searching, we recently picked up a 1995 Pathfinder. It only has 100,000 miles on it and hasn't been four wheeling. The truck was cheap at $1,200, and although the suspension was bad and it was leaking from the water pump, it drove very nicely. The interior was perfect - it was a one owner vehicle and the guy literally put seat covers on it when he drove it off the lot. The guy we got it from literally drove 5 miles back and forth to work for years, and did some basic maintenance to keep it up. But - it does need some work. The first thing we did was replace the ESS as the speedometer stopped working. That was a quick fix, and now all looks good there. We cleaned everything off, an are ready to go. My wife is a gem and likes to help out - we will be working on it moving forwards in three different areas: The water pump is shot and is leaking through the weep hole and the timing belt was never replaced - so will do a timing belt and water pump replacement. Although it doesn't look like it is leaking any oil, I also ordered camshaft and crankshaft seals and may do those while we are in there. We got all OEM parts for the engine. I found the write-up by Doctor Bill on the timing belt and seals - that is some great work. The suspension is shot - all the rubber is perished, and there is some rust - ordered new parts from RockAuto and will be replacing everything and putting in new struts. The tensioner rod on the driver's side was actually broken. So - we got the higher end Mevotech parts, which should be fine, and ordered a set of OEM tensioner rods to replace both sides. Finally - there was some frame rust, but there is only one bad spot - in the passenger rear section. We are going to treat it and re-paint the frame. We got some Eastwood Fast Etch Rust Dissolver, some Internal Frame Coating w/Spray Nozzle, and a bottle of AeroKroil to help with those rusted bolts. If you haven't used it, that AeroKroil stuff rocks! So - we are hoping to be up and rolling with a fully functional, low(ish) miles Pathfinder in the next few weeks. If this had been a Toyota 4Runner, it would have cost 3 to 4 times as much - so we are really pleased! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 We didn't understand about how bad the frame rust can get on these till after we bought it. We did look at it, and the back bumper was rusted out, but it looked like mostly surface rust underneath on the frame. After buying it, we looked at some of the pictures of frame rust on the 95's - Wow - scary stuff. But luckily, there was only one place where the damage really looked bad at all - on the rear passenger side of the frame. It was clean over the wheel wells. There is one hole, the size of a quarter on that back frame rail. After we treat it and re-coat the frame, should we go ahead and get this spot welded over, or should It be OK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 That really is the worst part - the rest looks much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 exactly why I bought a cheap MIG welder from harborFreight. I pickup some 1/8 inch weld steel from a local fab shop and patch areas as needed. After welding I alays super-coat the area and anywhere else with a can of rubberized underoating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Firstly, welcome to the club. Secondly, I would check out the rest of that frame with a small hammer. From the looks of your pics I think you are going to find some more perforation close to the area you have exposed already. The bottom part of that frame looks like its ready to go. Good news is it seems like the damage is localized and repairable. These trucks get a lot of dirt build up in there from the rear wheels kicking it up. While you have that opening I would take a hose and run water through there and clean it out well by pushing the hose down the length of the frame...keep an eye out underneath and clean out all the drainage holes as the debris gets push down. I put my truck up on risers and let gravity help move the junk out of there. End of the day you have to maintain your frame by cleaning it at least once a year when you live in the rust belt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 The body looks pretty clean but since you are doing a rust check...one area that is hidden but needs to be checked is next to the passenger side wind shield area. You have to remove the vents first to access the other parts...its pretty straight forward. Check both sides to be sure there is no rust forming under the wind shield, otherwise one good bump and the entire thing can crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Hit it with a hammer - excellent advice. So - there was good news, and bad news. I started at the front of the frame with a hammer and a steel press rod, and tapped around - hard. The good news is drivers side is rock solid all the way to the back, and from the back passenger section forward the passenger frame is solid. The bad news - there was rot all around that one small hole. You were dead square Pav. So - much more damage than I thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 The metal is ok for what is left - I pounded on it pretty hard to see what would happen, and nothing else would come loose. So - is this still salvageable? I'm not a welder, so I'll have to find someone to fix this if it can be fixed...Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I had the exact same rust pattern. Fairly easy to grind some clean surface, piece some steel in there and weld it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maaakaaa Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Once you have it all patched up, maybe paint the frame with POR-15. Actually, it might be a good idea to paint what you can inside of the frame before patching it. The body looks great, though. Is it lifted, or is my suspension sagging that badly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 The metal is ok for what is left - I pounded on it pretty hard to see what would happen, and nothing else would come loose. So - is this still salvageable? I'm not a welder, so I'll have to find someone to fix this if it can be fixed... Ben Yup its fixable, you seem to have enough to weld to. I would ask around first to find a place willing to do it without the truck there with you. In many jurisdictions its not legal to repair a frame and then have it on public roads. You might have to find some guys that do farm repair to get it done Technically, the person/dealer should have never sold you the truck. Thanks for the updated pics...my thumb was getting itchy...wanted to push through that rust with it. I've checked out my fair share of WD21s for rust until I found mine. You might want to also get under the truck and check the floor behind the Y pipe of the exhaust, give it a tap and see how strong it is there. Its a heat point on these trucks and tends to rot the floor panel in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 There is a ton of rust on the floor there. Does this need to be welded / repaired as well, or is it OK? I'm in a non-rural area around DC in Montgomery County Maryland which is one of the most rigidly bureaucratic and controlling / worst places in the world. I'm quite sure they would put me through sheer hades because of this rust. I'm going to have to try to find an independent to do this, or take up welding myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 There is a ton of rust on the floor there. Does this need to be welded / repaired as well, or is it OK? I'm in a non-rural area around DC in Montgomery County Maryland which is one of the most rigidly bureaucratic and controlling / worst places in the world. I'm quite sure they would put me through sheer hades because of this rust. I'm going to have to try to find an independent to do this, or take up welding myself. If that is the case then you can work this one from the inside out. Remove the driver's seat and get the carpet up. You are now experienced at tapping away to remove the rust. Me thinks there will be a hole there near the gas peddle. Once you got the area cleaned up to where you have bare metal I would use some rust arrest liquid of your choice on the edges. Now you can either weld in a new piece or bolt it in if that is easier. Seal up the edges where it meets and you should be good for a long time. If you are very ambitious you can also add some sound deadening material there from 3M since the carpet will be up. Might as well check out the Y pipe to see if its still intact too as well as those pesky Manifold studs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Took the bumper off Sprayed the frame down with Eastwood Fast Etch Kept it sprayed down for an hour, it cut some of surface rust - but it has a ways to go. Thanks so much for keeping me positive on this guys! I just hadn't had to deal with rust like this before, kinda had me panicked! The Fast Etch knocked it back a bit - not perfect but better than it was... Found a guy who freelances that is willing to weld it up for $160. But - he wants to have the gas tank removed for safety purposes. Is that really necessary? Don't want to blow anything up of course... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 If the $160 includes dropping the tank that is a good price. When he drops it you should replace the rubber hoses that go to the tank. The vapour line is particularly known to deteriorate. Realistically, you are dealing with a 20 year old vehicle so these rubber items should all just be replaced to be safe. Dropping the tank...safety wise he does have a point but I've seen people using wet towels to cover the fuel tank and didn't blow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 I have to drop the tank - the $160 is just for welding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Dropping the tank is easy. I see you don't have a trailer hitch. That will make it even easier. Unhook the lines, unplug the fuel pump harness (its at the back near the bumper), and then there is the 6 bolts holding the tank in. Use a floor jack with a piece of plywood. I would try and do it when the tank is near empty so it's easier to maneuver. The first time I repaired a wd21 I didn't drop the tank, used the wet towels on it to keep the sparks away. The second time I did and it makes it alot easier to check out the entire frame back there, and check the floor above the gas tank. I found a hole in mine there. Small, but worth patching. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95pathgrey Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I'd love expert advice on transmission replacement in the 4x4 auto trans 95 pathfinder. I did it once and had to struggle with mating the trans to the engine twice in order the rotate the shield to have access to tighten the converter bolts. Does what I'm saying make sense? Anyone seen any "write-ups" already posted about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I made a thread about swapping in an Xterra trans (redesigned, much better). It's a bolt in swap, you just need to save the sub harness from your original trans, just plug and play. As for the converter bolts you need to go through the starter hole. I used really long extensions. There is a plate that bolts to the motor that you can remove to give you even more room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 I've got to say that the the Eastwood Fast Etch rust remover did the job. I sprayed down the frame and parts 5 or 6 times over and hour and let it sit overnight. The result isn't perfect, it it looks pretty darn good! Before: And - After: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95pathgrey Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Adamzan Thanks I'm quick to most tech but this site is a bit tricky on my phone, will try to search u and look for it and Ty. Did u run an external cooler also? Bartine That looks very promising. I've used some permatex type formable liquid (about $100 per 5gal container) and I've also used the cans of the spray rubber sold at home improvement centers (mostly marketed as roofing patch compound) and they both will overcoat well but the special order permatex is really superior to anything I've ever seen at preserving/bonding metal and wood. What you've got in the last pic looks easily repairable and I'd think you pulling the tank and spending 160 welding and then undercoating it would restore the truck to many years of service left. That is good cleanup work for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Yes I did, the truck already had one so i just cleaned it out as a precaution and ran it as is. I also hooked up the radiator cooler again (has a newer rad). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dma251 Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I've welded near gas tanks in-place before, and it make's you nervous. Assuming your tank is sealed well, and there is no vapor lingering all is well, but these aren't new vehicles.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 Took off the access plate - good grief -is everything on this truck rusted? There weren't any issues with the fuel pump or gas gauge. I'm hoping I can just de-rust the top of the fuel pump and sensor, paint it, coat everything with a ton of silicon and keep going. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartine Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 (edited) Sprayed all the bolts with penetrating oil, let them soak over night. I got a breaker bar at Harbor Frieght, and started to wear myself out. Eventually, I got all four of the bolts on that hold the gas tank cover in place. I used my jack to hold it in place before I took the bolts all the way off. Then removed all the hoses. Most of the clamps were rusted away and had to be broken off. Once I got the main hose off for the gas tank, I was able to get a plastic line into the tank and siphoned off all the gas. That was a pain! Once all the hoses were off and the gas was drained, I went ahead and put a large nut into the 4 screws I had already taken off and then put them back in with some more penetrating oil to hold the gas tank in place while I took of the last 2 bolts. Those last 2 bolts were by far the worst. One broke, but the other one came off.Then, I used my jack with a large piece of wood on top of it and some old shirts for padding, used my jack to hold the tank in place while I took off the four bolts. Then lowered it down very slowly.Of course, I had forgotten to take off one hose - it is for the fuel filter - is off on the passenger side but not underneath the access hole. Took that off, and it dropped right down - no problem. Other than that top plate, the tank is in good shape. Taking it off was more tedious than anything. Every single bolt was rusted in place, and I had to use the breaker bar till the last few turns of the wrench.I called the guy, and I believe he is going to come over next Saturday to weld up the frame. Edited April 4, 2015 by bartine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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